Genma's Journal
by Thrythlind
Summary: Nabiki makes a copy of Genma's journal and reads it. The secrets she discovers are disturbing to say the least. The Ryouga torture is finally somewhat toned down as I promised about two years ago.


Nabiki decided that she'd have to rework her estimation of Genma. She had always thought that he had acted a little too stupid considering that he created the Umisen and Yamasen techniques. She made a little stop by her room, after checking to see that her father and Ranma's were still gone, and then was on to the guestroom. It took only a moment to find the book's hiding place, since she had happened to see Genma placing it.   
  
Nabiki spent the next few minutes clicking away with her camera, and turning pages. She did not fall into the trap of reading the book here, where she could get lost and be caught. After all, she'd have plenty of chance to read it later when she transferred the digital pictures to her computer. She then carefully returned the book to its former position and readjusted all the little warning signals Genma had set on it. She didn't want him to know it had been disturbed after all. Then it was back to her room.  
  
Half an hour later found her sitting in the diner with a sundae and a sheaf of printed papers. Most people would call this an invasion of privacy, but as far as Nabiki was concerned, any secret of Genma's was a dangerous thing. Genma's secrets usually meant bad news for Ranma, and that meant bad news for her sister. Since the two of them couldn't do it for themselves, she took it upon herself to protect them as much as she could. Provided it didn't take too much effort anyway.  
  
"Let's see what 'kuso-oyaji' is hiding," Nabiki said quietly to herself.  
  
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We have arrived at Tendo's, things look promising.  
  
Tendo's middle daughter is a manipulative bitch. She could prove useful in the training process. The boy still has a tendency to try to make friends with people; for all that he's inept at it. Maybe this girl can push him over the edge. Sooner or later she betray him in some   
  
That girl has already helped me tremendously. After the samurai's proposal of love to the pig-tailed girl I'll bet the boy is really thinking people aren't worth the trouble. One less distraction from the art. Avoiding Kuno could be good practice too, though the samurai isn't anywhere near Ranma's skill level.  
  
The boy is really angry about the Tendo girl's fake engagement. He's beginning to act a lot more suspicious. Its getting harder to surprise him than before. It was an excellent lesson of betrayal, something only a woman could do. I wish I could say I planned it. It would have been truly worthy of the Master.  
  
Nabiki passed out invitations to the surprise wedding. Didn't think she could pass up the chance for a little profit. The boy and Akane are even closer, I support the marriage but love is too much of a distraction. What would happen if they quit fighting?  
  
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Nabiki looked into the mirror after rinsing her mouth out of the faucet again. She still felt ill, but she didn't think there was anything else in her stomach to disgorge. The bastard had played her perfectly, and she had never even noticed. All this time of ignoring the old man as useless and not worth any effort, and he had been laughing at HER the entire time. Nobody laughed at HER, Nobody played HER. Not and get away with it they didn't.  
  
Too make matters worse, this wasn't just a little prank or mostly harmless swindling. This was hideous, and Genma was threatening HER family as well just for a little vicarious respect through his student and son. There wasn't even any money involved as far as she could tell.  
  
"I didn't think anybody could be so stupid as he acted," Nabiki told herself. "Everybody blames Ranma for everything." Nabiki walked back to her booth and stuck the papers into a manila envelope. She was going to need help on this.  
  
She would not talk to Ranma or Akane yet. She couldn't predict their reaction clearly, but Nabiki imagined it would have something to do with a panda wall hanging. That wouldn't prove anything, he would still have beaten her. Nobody else might know about, but she would. Somebody played her, and all she was going to do was run to the martial artists? No way could she allow that.  
  
Auntie Saotome could be nearly as volatile as her sister and Ranma. Then it was just a matter of a swish of the blade, assuming Genma didn't just take the blade away when it actually threatened him. No, Auntie was out for now. Nabiki would talk to her later, by the end of the week at least.  
  
Cologne would definitely not be a good idea. It would be a bad idea to mix any more schemes into the solution. Nabiki didn't want to start a three-way war here, not yet. If there were anything left of Genma afterwards, then the Amazons could have him.  
  
Kasumi, on the other hand, was the perfect choice as far as she could tell. Genma already feared the way she could possibly soften Ranma. Showing this to Kasumi would turn her motherly sister's attention to the problem directly. Kasumi could keep a secret, too. She might not want to keep this one, but that could work too.  
  
"I wonder how Genma would like it when everybody stops hating Ranma," she pondered to herself.  
  
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"Tadaima." Nabiki glanced at the two fathers playing shogi on the porch. ~Great, he's here.~  
  
"Okaeri Nasai," Kasumi voice drifted from somewhere further back in the house. The eternally serene girl quietly appeared with the same grace and breeziness that her voice had just moved through the house. "I was wondering where you had been all morning."  
  
"I had to get out of the house for a little while," Nabiki said, noticing Kasumi watching her carefully. Kasumi had her purse out, which meant she was going shopping. ~Perfect.~  
  
"Are you feeling okay, Nabiki," Kasumi asked. "You look a little¡¦pale." Kasumi didn't mention that her younger sister looked ready to kill something.  
  
"I'm fine," Nabiki answered. She scanned the edge of her field of vision to make sure Genma wasn't watching. "Want some help with the shopping?" Kasumi looked at her in mild surprise. "I still feel like doing some walking."  
  
"Certainly, I'd enjoy the company," Kasumi said with her normal smile. "Shall we go then?" The beginning of the trip consisted mostly of small talk while Nabiki worked out how she was going broach the subject.  
  
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Ukyou glanced about nervously and fidgeted with one of her hands. She felt naked without her battle spatula immediately on hand, but she didn't want to be bothered by anyone right now. Bringing the spatula would have just invited trouble, especially since she wanted to take a peek at the dojo. Hopefully, dressed in normal clothes and without her spatula, nobody would recognize her.  
  
Ukyou had done some stupid things in the past year, though until the wedding she would have just called it determined. As for the wedding, her behavior there had been so far beyond stupid that it had hit Kuno levels. Breaking Ranma and Akane up was one thing, trying to KILL Akane. What had she hoped to gain? If she had actually succeeded it would have been her death.  
  
"And why did I use exploding food?" Ukyou asked herself.  
  
"Excuse me, miss?" the stall keeper in front of her asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Ukyou said, laughing nervously as she moved to browse at another vendor. She halted and turned back around as she saw two familiar figures appear in the crowd of people.  
  
"Kasumi and Nabiki," the chef said to herself. She kept her back turned as the Tendos passed, twisting her head about to keep an eye on them. Ukyou hoped the lack of her battle spatula and normal attire would be enough for them to pass over her. Ukyou breathed a sigh of relief as they passed without Nabiki so much as turning her way. Kasumi had glanced at the vendor Ukyou was standing at, but didn't seem to notice the chef.  
  
"Maybe I can find out what's going on in the dojo from them," Ukyou narrowed her eyes as she started to shadow the sisters.  
  
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"Kasumi..." Nabiki hesitated.  
  
"Whatever it is can't be all that bad, can it?" Kasumi said sweetly. Ukyou pulled up short aborting her attempt to get their attention. Nabiki looked at her in surprise. "You and Akane are both so reluctant about asking for help." She spoke with a mildly amused voice. "But the build-up is easy to spot now."  
  
"I'm not that obvious, am I?" Nabiki asked, suddenly nervous.  
  
"Only to someone who knows you, imouto-san," Kasumi's voice was only a little patronizing.  
  
"I hope so," Nabiki muttered. "Uh...anyway, there's a problem. Its about Ranma..."  
  
"Oh, Nabiki," Kasumi gasped. "You haven't fallen for him too, have you?"  
  
"What?!" Nabiki's exclamation neatly covered the sound of Ukyou's facefault. "No! That's not the problem."  
  
"Are you certain of that Nabiki, you did go to all that trouble to ruin their wedding, and it does seem to be a contagious condition."  
  
~Never heard it put that way before,~ Ukyou thought as she got back to her feet.  
  
"It wasn't much trouble," Nabiki noted, she directed her sister to the sparsely populated park and removed the printed photos from the envelope. "This is the problem." She opened the envelope and handed Kasumi the printed journal.  
  
"What is this...Saotome-san's journal? Nabiki where did you get this? This is an extreme invasion of privacy."  
  
~Ranma's father keeps a journal?~ Ukyou blinked.  
  
"My digital camera," Nabiki said honestly. "Just read a few entries, you'll see the problem." Kasumi gave Nabiki a reproachful look before reading a few entries. She blanched, flipped a few pages picked another entry, then another.  
  
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Unlike Nabiki, Tendo's eldest is going to be a problem. I have never met some one so completely nice. She did immediately pass the buck on the fiancee situation, but that is the only hint of anything useful that I've seen yet.  
  
I was right about Kasumi; she's making the boy soft. He's actually somewhat polite when talking to her. He's beginning to think that she's safe, he shouldn't think anything's safe....  
  
Does that girl run everything in this house? If you want anything done you have to ask Kasumi. The boy trusts her, and she's been giving him advice on dealing with Akane. I can't figure out what to do about her. I'll need to be extra hard on the boy or he'll lose what edge I've managed to give him.  
  
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"Oh my, is it ALL like this?"  
  
"Yes," Nabiki's lip curled. "It's ALL like that. He tricked me. ME!" Nabiki growled low as her eyes narrowed. Ukyou took a closer look at the girl and swallowed nervously.  
  
~She's pissed,~ Ukyou thought to herself, as some back corner of her mind made some comment about catching the obvious. Nabiki's eyes were slits, her skin pale and lips curled in a sneer that might possibly have given Kodachi pause. ~What is in that thing?~  
  
"Oh my, he talks about me here," Kasumi said. "He doesn't like me much, does he?"  
  
~Who could NOT like Kasumi?~ Ukyou asked herself, she leaned forward a moment. The chef immediately pulled back as the leaves rustled and Kasumi momentarily looked up from her reading. The eldest Tendo looked back at the papers almost without delay, however, and Ukyou released her breath.  
  
"No, he doesn't," Nabiki agreed.  
  
"Oh, this explains Ukyou's behavior at the wedding," Kasumi said.  
  
~Huh? What did she say?~  
  
"What do I do about this, Kasumi?" Kasumi handed back the papers to Nabiki, handling it as if it were something rather smelly and distasteful. "This is so far beyond one of my pranks or scams."  
  
"This will have to go to the authorities," Kasumi said.  
  
"If possible I'd like to keep this to the family for now," Nabiki said.  
  
"Nabiki..."  
  
"I would like to know how Ranma takes this," Nabiki explained, interrupting. "You'd think that with just Jusenkyo and the Neko-ken he'd have had enough, but he thinks his father is just stupid, not...." Nabiki made a vague gesture as she tried to come up with a word.  
  
"You make a point," Kasumi nodded as she stood up. "I'll give you a week, Nabiki, after that I expect that...item to be in the hands of the police. You can print another copy I assume?"  
  
"What do you take me for?"  
  
"Good, then perhaps you can leave that one with Ukyou," Kasumi said, Nabiki blinked, behind the bush she had taken for cover, twitched.  
  
"Are you sure we should tell her about this?"  
  
"She deserves to know, Nabiki. The question is academic anyway. You can come out now, Ukyou-chan."  
  
"How did you know I was there?" Ukyou asked as she stepped from behind the bush.  
  
"Oh, I didn't," Kasumi said, Ukyou stared in outright disbelief as Nabiki slapped her forehead.  
  
"She used to pull that one on me all the time," Nabiki explained, irritated that she had been fooled again, even if it was just a small way. She hadn't planned on letting Ukyou know just yet, but there was no way she was going to get out of it around Kasumi. "How much did you hear?"  
  
"What's in that thing?" Ukyou said bluntly. Nabiki glanced at the envelope and considered.  
  
"Nabiki..." Kasumi's lecturing tone began to creep into her voice.  
  
"Alright, alright," Nabiki said. She handed over the envelope to Ukyou. "Don't let anybody else see that, and promise me you won't do anything without talking to us first."  
  
"Like what?" Ukyou asked.  
  
"Like making a panda rug."  
  
"I want to do that anyway, how much worse can this make Genma seem."  
  
"Quite a bit, actually," Kasumi said. "If you see Ryouga, however, you might want to show him that."  
  
"Ryouga!?" Nabiki looked at her sister as if she'd gone insane. ~Ryouga would just tear Genma into pieces. Doesn't she KNOW that, besides how can we trust someone who poses as a pet pig to get into Akane's room?~  
  
"But I think that should be it for now," Kasumi paused and looked momentarily wistful. "I wish Dr. Tofu were still here, he always seemed to have answers. Odd considering how funny he always acted."  
  
"Now he would make sense, but Ryouga?!"  
  
"Well, I got to go," Ukyou said. "Umm, one question before I go...how did Ranchan and Akane feel about me...uhh..."  
  
"I wouldn't be by the dojo without calling ahead first," Nabiki said.  
  
"They were quite upset," Kasumi agreed. "But I find that it probably wasn't all your fault. Good day, Nabiki, we have shopping to do."  
  
"Right, Kasumi," Nabiki said frustrated. She turned to Ukyou again. "Don't do anything, and don't tell to anybody, especially Ranma and Akane."  
  
"Gotcha," Ukyou said, confused. As the Tendos turned away to finish Kasumi's shopping, Ukyou looked around and then considered the bundle of papers in her hand. There was no way she was going to repeat Nabiki's mistake and read it here, anybody could walk by.  
  
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The boy has a lot more potential than I do; he'll pass my physical skills before he hits his twenties. That is a problem, it is difficult to train someone better than you, but I think I have found a solution.  
  
He has improved greatly since beginning this game with the Kuonji boy. He likes the competition aspect, and there really is no teacher like experience. Too bad it is such a friendly contest. If Kuonji were trying to kill him though, it would be such a better exercise. I've seen Kuonji, he can't beat the boy, but he can get close. Now if only there was a way to do make this contest into a duel....  
  
Problem solved, the Kuonji boy is a girl. Her father came by to discuss an engagement. A woman scorned is a dangerous thing indeed. Too bad she's not a boy after all though, I don't want the boy to get used to weak opponents....  
  
The Kuonji girl is back, and she's out to marry him again. Fortunately this makes the current fiancee situation even harder to get out of. I'd much prefer if she was still trying to kill him, but at least she's making life a little harder for him...  
  
Kuonji is a little too nice still; she'll need a little prodding when Nabiki tells her about the wedding. Maybe, if I slip her something that day¡¦  
  
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"Ukyou-sama," Konatsu knocked on the door to the shower again. "Are you okay?"   
  
His object of worship had been in the shower for the past hour, and this was after she had locked herself in a room for most of the evening. She had been acting funny recently, she had been getting really obsessive up until the day of the abortive wedding. Since then she had been rather depressed. Then she had stomped out of her room and disappeared into the shower.  
  
"Bastard," Ukyou muttered, not hearing the kunoichi outside over the water and her own muttering. She was on her third bar of soap now, and was starting to feel a bit like a prune. "Sick, perverted bastard. Woman scorned he says? If he wants to see me mad..."  
  
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The sun rose on another day, silently banishing away the night's chill, and two teens made ready to leave for another day of school.  
  
"Damn it!" Akane stopped and turned back to the stairs. "I almost forgot my homework."  
  
"Smooth, Akane," Ranma said, smirk.  
  
"If you hadn't gotten so paranoid I wouldn't have been distracted!" Akane didn't bother to wait for his reply as she turned back to the stairs.  
  
"I'm NOT being paranoid!" Ranma called up. He continued toward the front door mumbling to himself. "Kasumi and Nabiki ARE watching me." Ranma paused as he walked out of the house proper and saw Nabiki waiting by the gate. Usually the older girl was already gone by now, especially since the last few conversations between her and either Ranma or Akane hadn't ended civilly.  
  
"Hey, Otooto," she blinked and looked past his shoulder. "Where's Akane?"  
  
"Uh..." Ranma was still surprised by the familial term she had just casually tossed out. "She forgot a couple of things."  
  
"You're not going without her, are you?" Nabiki asked with more than a little reproach.  
  
"Of course not!" Ranma answered quickly. "I'm just waiting for her out here. Why?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  
  
"I wanted to talk to both of you," she sighed and checked her watch. "But I need to get going so, I was wondering if you two would like me to treat you to a movie or something." Ranma froze and stared at her. "Talk to her about it will you." Then she turned and was gone leaving a stunned Ranma behind her.  
  
"Don't just stand there!" Akane snapped after she had been standing next to him for almost a minute. "We're going to be late!" She rolled her eyes and headed out the gate.  
  
"Hey wait a minute," Ranma snapped out of his daze to follow Akane.  
  
"Akane, is there something wrong with Nabiki?" Ranma asked halfway to the school. Akane looked at him curiously.  
  
"Besides the obvious you mean?" Akane asked.  
  
"Yeah, she called me 'otooto.'"  
  
"That IS strange," Akane admitted.  
  
"Then she offered to treat us to a movie." Akane tried to respond but her jaw didn't seem to be working.  
  
"What?!?" Akane whirled on Ranma. Ranma's new habit of walking next to her rather than on the fence proved useful as she pressed him back against the wall. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"  
  
"She wanted to know if we felt like going with her to a movie or something," he said quickly in answer. "HER treat." Akane eyes bulged as she tried to catalog the reasons Nabiki would be generous with her money. She looked Ranma up and down for a moment.  
  
"You're not seriously ill or anything are you?" she asked.  
  
"Not that I.." Ranma didn't get a chance to finish as Akane started dragging him along at a run.  
  
"Come on, we might be able to catch her before she gets to class!" The dark-haired girl came to sudden stop as Furinkan's gates came into view. "Oh great."  
  
"I told you Nabiki was acting wei¡¦" Ranma stopped as he caught sight of where Ukyou was pacing the grounds and doing a creditable Ryouga impression. "We could get around her," Ranma said, pointing to the wall.  
  
"Hell no, I'm not running from anybody!" Akane growled stomping forward. She glanced up and saw people watching out the windows from Nabiki's class. The only people who would be there this early would be her sister and assistants. "And Nabiki's already in class."   
  
"I don't want to deal with her right now Akane," Ranma explained.  
  
"Look at her, Baka, she's out for blood," Akane snapped. "She's in our classes, how are you NOT going to deal with her." Ranma thought about it a moment.  
  
"I guess it had to come sooner or later," Ranma admitted reluctantly. "Let's go."  
  
"...damn bastard, I'm going to skin him alive," Ukyou turned around to see Akane and Ranma walking towards her, looking less than happy. Akane's face spoke volumes of the pain Ukyou might soon be experiencing. "Uh...hi guys."  
  
"Don't you 'hi guys' us," Akane was confused, she would have thought Ukyou would have immediately leapt to the attack. "You tried to kill me!" Akane maintained her own anger and glare though.  
  
"What do you want Ukyou?" Ranma asked coldly.  
  
Ukyou winced at the tone. It was obvious he didn't want to see her, she'd almost rather that he'd be as eager to fight as Akane seemed to be. She couldn't even really blame Genma for all of it. The exploding food may have been the most dangerous thing she had done, but she had done a lot with out his prompting. She had been almost as obsessive as Genma about molding Ranma's life, just not as creative.  
  
What had been the end result of all that? Akane and Ranma were standing there in front of her acting almost like a single unit. Ukyou tried to hold onto the anger she felt at Genma, but it was quietly retreating in the face of her two betrayed friends. All her efforts, all everybody's efforts, and it had only accomplished bringing Ranma and Akane closer together. She had lost, and she was not going any further downhill than she had already gone.  
  
"I...I...Gomen nasai," she bowed low in front of Akane and Ranma. The Anything-Goes martial artists stared in shock. "I...haven't been myself."  
  
"You mean you don't want to fight?" Akane demanded.  
  
"No," Ukyou answered. ~Not either of you anyway.~ "Besides, I think I like my face the way it is."  
  
"Ohhh kaaayy," was Ranma's only response.  
  
"I'll...be going now," Ukyou said. "Try to make it to Ucchan's please, it gets lonely with just Konatsu to talk to. He doesn't argue enough to be interesting conversation." Ukyou left before they could answer.  
  
"Is everyone going crazy today?" Akane asked.  
  
"Ah! My lovely Akane!! Allow me to defend your honor from that wretched scoundrel Saotome!!" The declaration was followed shortly by the sound of a large non-aerodynamic missile flying through the air over the school.  
  
"At least Kuno isn't acting weird," Ranma noted, admiring Akane's form. Usually he liked to get to Kuno first, Akane had a tendency to go overboard, but Akane needed something to hit.  
  
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"Oh, I'm sorry Saotome-san," Kasumi said sweetly. "But the hot water is out again, I've already called the plumber."  
  
*What am I going to do then?* The irritable panda's sign read. Kasumi thought back to the book on pressure points she had borrowed from Dr. Tofu earlier that year, and briefly wondered if they'd be similar on a panda.  
  
"Well, I have some water on the stove, but..." Kasumi started, the panda pushed in past her and reached for the teakettle. Kasumi resisted the urge to smile as the panda yelped in pain and pulled his paw back from the kettle. "...I was boiling it for tea."  
  
*I'll just go to the public baths,* the panda's next sign read. He shuffled out of the kitchen and Kasumi looked about at the bits of fur left in her kitchen.  
  
"What an unsanitary beast," Kasumi sighed as she went to get a broom. She noted pleasantly the panda walking past the outer gate as she continued along. Kasumi was surprised when the broom closet opened before she got there. Her surprise diminished as she recognized a familiar yellow tunic and black and yellow bandana.  
  
"Excuse me, can you tell me the way to...Kasumi?" Ryouga blinked. "What are you doing here in Tomobiki?"  
  
"This is Nerima, Ryouga-san," Kasumi said patiently.  
  
"But that little girl with the blue hair said it was Tomobiki," Ryouga said. Kasumi looked past Ryouga into the closet and briefly wondered when her broom closet had gotten so large. Then a little red door with a circular window closed near the back, just before vanishing. "Then there was the girl with the red hair who kept shouting and asking if I was related to someone named Mihoshi. Maybe I shouldn't have used the baksai tenketsu on that wall, or whatever it was"  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi said, sweatdropping. "I'm glad you're here, however."  
  
"You are..." Ryouga swallowed nervously. Kasumi nodded and gestured an invitation to follow her.  
  
"Could you hand me that broom while you're there?" Kasumi asked. "And the dust pan, thank you."  
  
"Umm...why would you want to see me?" Ryouga asked cautiously. Kasumi turned around and noticed him blushing. She sighed briefly, exasperated by the emotional upheavals that were adolescent males.  
  
"Yes, there's something I want you to see," Kasumi said, making sure that he followed her to the kitchen. "But Ukyou is holding it right now, so we shall have to wait until school is over." She continued before the lost boy could respond. "Why don't you attend school?"  
  
"Uh...well...I never really...can," he stood there poking his fingers together while she swept up her kitchen. "Find it...often enough."  
  
"You've been to school before, how did you find it then?" Kasumi asked, clapping her hands after disposing of the panda hair. She gestured slightly and Ryouga moved out of her way so she could move to put the broom and dustpan away.  
  
"Shirokuro used to get me places," Ryouga admitted nervously as Kasumi walked back. "And uh...." he mumbled something.  
  
"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that last sentence," Kasumi said quietly.  
  
"I used to follow Ranma a couple of times," he admitted grudgingly.  
  
"Oh, well that was nice of him to help you," Kasumi said. She took a towel and used it to take the teakettle, placed it on a tray, and took down a pair of saucers and cups.  
  
"Nice, him? He would insult me the entire way and never got close enough to let me get my hands on him," Ryouga sniffed. "Coward, always running away."  
  
"Excuse me," Kasumi turned around holding the tray, Ryouga moved out of the way again. "Would you care for some tea, Ryouga?" She asked as she passed beyond him.  
  
"S..s..sure," Ryouga followed along hesitantly.  
  
"You're aware that insulting Ranma was a part of his...father's training methods?"  
  
"So, what does that have to do with anything," Ryouga asked.  
  
"Well, I've only rarely heard Genma praise Ranma," Kasumi noted. "And even then it's just to fluff his own ego."  
  
"What does how the idiot panda acts have to do with Ranma being a jerk?"  
  
"I imagine that Ranma has been receiving insults like that most of his life," Kasumi continued. There was actually very little imagination involved, though Kasumi had suspected something like this even before seeing the journal. "Perhaps he does not understand that there is any other way to act?" Ryouga stared at her.  
  
"Just because his father's a jerk doesn't give him the right to be a jerk," Ryouga insisted.  
  
"I suppose this will have to wait until later," Kasumi sighed. She had hoped to be able to reason with Ryouga before showing him Genma's journal, but apparently not. "Incidentally, I would try to avoid Nabiki if I were you."  
  
"Uh...why?"  
  
"Well, you see we recently discovered a certain fact about our sister's pet pig," Kasumi told him bluntly. Ryouga stared at her wide-eyed.  
  
"He told.." Ryouga narrowed his eyes and started to growl.  
  
"Ranma? No, he doesn't know we know yet," Kasumi said. "You'll understand later today. Now do you think you can stay put for the next five hours?"  
  
"I guess," Ryouga said warily.  
  
"Good, if you need anything please call me," Kasumi told him. "Do not look for it yourself."  
  
"I'm not that bad!" Ryouga growled. Kasumi smiled and sipped her tea.  
  
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Akane tracked her sister down as soon as she and Ranma returned to the dojo after school. As was usual, Nabiki was in her room, though she was not just idly snacking and reading manga as usual. She was at the computer, which was turned off as soon as Akane entered the room.  
  
"Forget how to knock, imouto-chan?" Nabiki asked with arched eye-brow.  
  
"What's wrong, Nabiki?" Akane demanded, ignoring the sarcasm. She closed the distance and started checking her sister's pulse and temperature.  
  
"Wrong?" Nabiki blinked, and irritably let her sister check her vitals. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You offered to TREAT us to a dinner and a movie!" Akane declared, stepping back and now regarding her sister cautiously. "If you're not sick, then you're up to something."  
  
"Ooo¡¦'us' now is it?" Nabiki smirked. Akane flushed red. "Not Ranma, or Ranma and I, just 'us', we'll have to celebrate this development."  
  
"I didn't mean.."  
  
"Oh come now, Akane," Nabiki interrupted her. "Can't you give your sister a chance to make amends for a few small errors in her past?"  
  
"You're doing this to apologize for the wedding?" Akane asked, her eyes narrowed. ~There HAS to be something more to this.~  
  
"Did you know that Kasumi was leading Ryouga home?" Ranma called as he came down the hallway. "Uh¡¦hi Nabiki."  
  
"So he's back in town," Nabiki said. Akane and Ranma noted the slight hint of distaste Nabiki put into that statement. "What about it guys? A nice relaxing movie and dinner afterwards? No fiancees, no interruptions, a chance to forget some of your problems for a night?"  
  
"Do you have a bet with someone?" Ranma asked Nabiki.  
  
"Can't I just do something nice?" she asked seriously.  
  
"No." Akane and Ranma said in tandem.  
  
"Hmmm, maybe I should more often," Nabiki said, when she noted Ranma's and Akane's hanging jaws she qualified the statement. "I have to keep people guessing as to what's I'm doing, don't I?"  
  
"Okay, that sounds normal," Akane said, still not entirely convinced.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Ukyou was surprised to see Kasumi and Ryouga outside her restaurant as she returned home.   
  
"Have you been waiting for me?" she asked.  
  
"I wanted to avoid Ranma and my sisters," Kasumi explained. "Nabiki might not be rational about Ryouga."  
  
"I wonder why," Ukyou glared at him. Ryouga swallowed nervously.  
  
"Ah, have you read it then?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"I'd like to burn the bastard," Ukyou growled. "You still want him to read it?"   
  
"Yes, I do," Kasumi confirmed the statement with a nod.  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Ryouga asked.  
  
"You don't want to know, sugar," Ukyou said. "But we're going to show you anyway."  
  
"Please do not do anything rash after reading this," Kasumi pleaded.  
  
"Ohhh kay....read what?" Ranma shifted his gaze nervously between the two girls. Ukyou growled and turned to unlock her door.  
  
"It's upstairs, let me get it," Ukyou unlocked the door and went inside.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Perhaps the boys' school was a bad idea. I think the boy has been getting food at that school of his somehow. He doesn't fight for his meals quite as enthusiastically as he should. I wonder if they've started serving the food free.  
  
There is no problem, he's been fighting for his food. The principal wanted to talk to me about my son's belligerent behavior. From the sounds of it he has been continually competing with some other boy. Ryouga Hibiki, I'll have to see about this.  
  
The boy is trying to help this Hibiki person. I heard about his sense of direction, and apparently he knows about it too. Everyday he lets this Ryouga follow him to school. Actually, Hibiki shows potential. He doesn't have the boy's speed, but he seems to have a great deal more strength and endurance. And he does not appreciate the boy's help. This is a wonderful development.  
  
Ryouga wanted one more duel before we left. Of course he never showed up, but that is too be expected. The boy waited three days. We would have left earlier, but I had to wait for him to fall from exhaustion first. I can't usually beat him in a straight on fight anymore, and he was adamant about this. Foolish boy, he doesn't even realize that his friend hates him. I have to get him away from people again, he is getting some funny ideas. Still, I am tempted to remain and send him out for some "pretties" but since I really can't use them the way the master could I don't think its worth the trouble. The fact I can't bully him into is another problem.  
  
That Hibiki boy followed us to Jusenkyo, I saw him when the boy was trying to kill me. That was lucky, I think the boy would have caught me if I didn't put Hibiki between us, I wonder if the boy even saw him. I saw Hibiki later, after losing the boy, the bandana was dead give away. Good thing too, now I know how to reverse the curse. I should have asked about that before coming here. Never thought to get cursed myself. He ran off screaming about killing the boy. This is better than I could have planned. I wish I could have had the sweet and sour pork though.  
  
Ryouga is making himself a proper rival now, he's actually nearly defeated the boy several times. The boy is still holding back though, somehow I have to convince him to always go all out. Ryouga's also helping with the boy's sense of honor, sooner or later he's going to give in and tell Akane about P-Chan.  
  
The sooner he learns that honor is joke the better. Honor is for dealing with people who are your superior, and I've done everything to make sure that no one is his superior. He has the power, he has the right.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
. Ukyou watched the continually darkening expression on Ryouga's face nervously. He was outlined in green light that was growing ever brighter, though it hadn't yet burst into a full aura yet. She cricked her neck and turned to a safer view, though Kasumi looking nervous was moderately worrying in and of itself.  
  
"Aren't they going to wonder why you're gone this long?" Ukyou asked the motherly girl.  
  
"Nabiki is taking Akane and Ranma to a movie, and I told them I was escorting Ryouga home," Kasumi explained. "Father and Saotome-san can fend for themselves for the night." Ryouga stood up.  
  
"I need to be outside," he said in a strangely emotionless voice. That dead voice that always signaled a new low for his mood. "Quickly."  
  
"Hmm...OH!" Kasumi's eyes widened momentarily. "Certainly, it's this way, isn't it Ukyou?"  
  
"YES!! GET HIM OUTSIDE OF MY RESTAURANT ALREADY!!!"  
  
"Okay, follow me please," Kasumi paused, blushed momentarily and swatted Ryouga's lower back before leading him out of Ucchan's. Ukyou and Ryouga were both too distracted to notice the rather uncharacteristic act. He walked to the middle of street, took one deep breath and then the green light about him flared into life.  
  
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!!!!!!!"  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Whoa," Ranma said looking about the theatre as the shaking subsided. "Was that an earthquake?"  
  
"Didn't feel like it," Akane said. She was watching her sister closely, but she hadn't yet managed to press the issue of just what Nabiki was up to¡¦or what was wrong with her. Akane hoped it was just another scam of some kind, maybe she had a bet or something going on with someone.  
  
"Damn cheap construction," Nabiki muttered. "I'm going to find a new theatre."  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"DAMN YOU SAOTOME!!!" Ryouga shouted. He moved to run down the street in pursuit of his prey, stretched his muscles once, and then he felt his legs go numb as he hit the ground, a sensation unfamiliar only in that there was no foot pressing him into the pavement. "What the..."  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi said, dusting off her blouse. "It works." The sound of footsteps crunching on glass came from behind her.  
  
"MY WINDOWS!!!! MY DOOR!!!! LOOK AT THE CHAIRS!!!! RYOUGA NO BAKA!!!" Ukyou, still in her boy's school uniform stalked out of the ruined restaurant bearing her spatula high.  
  
"What happened to my legs!!!" Ryouga looked up for an answer only to see the oncoming chef. "AHH!!! WHAT ARE YOU D¡¦?" And the spatula came down.  
  
"I don't suppose you would mind helping me carry him inside," Kasumi said with a sigh.  
  
"He just DESTROYED my restaurant," Ukyou protested.  
  
"No, he damaged it," Kasumi corrected her. "I am fairly certain I can help you with the damages."  
  
"Do you ever get excited about anything?"  
  
"Of course I do," Kasumi answered calmly, closing her eyes demurely for a moment.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Okay, now on to dinner," Nabiki said as they left the theater. She stretched out, as if everything were normal and she wasn't acting like a pod person.  
  
~What is with her?!~ Akane demanded she glanced at Ranma, who was sitting there puzzling through something.  
  
"His foster-mother was his father's wife, but his half-sister was switched at birth and trained by that monk who killed the indian girl's parents and made him kill his father¡¦" the mumbling continued as Ranma tried to puzzle out Dagger of Kamui.  
  
"Baka," Akane whispered to herself watching him. ~Well, at least he isn't acting weird. Like Nabiki, and then Ukyou. Both of them acting so¡¦nice¡¦~ Akane narrowed her eyes as she thought of something.  
  
"Hey you two, catch up," she called back. "I don't want to be out all night?"  
  
"Ucchan's is right down the street," Akane said. Nabiki and Ranma both froze.  
  
"Why would you want to go eat at a place where the staff is likely to take your head off?" Nabiki asked coolly.  
  
"Ukyou isn't trying to kill us," Ranma said. "But I don't really feel like talking to her again today."  
  
"But remember when she APOLOGIZED," Akane said. "While we were talking about how weird NABIKI was acting. She asked us to come by." Nabiki arched an eyebrow as Ranma looked at Akane and then nodded as he put things together.  
  
"And then Kasumi wasn't there to cook for our fathers today," Ranma added. Ranma took a deep breath, looked at Akane, the two nodded and started for Ucchan's.  
  
"Hey!" Nabiki snapped. "This is supposed to be just a night to relax, not deal with unwanted fiancees!"  
  
"Something is going on here," Akane insisted.  
  
"Why should you think that?" Nabiki asked them. Ranma and Akane stopped, looked at each other, and turned to face Nabiki with incredulous expressions. "What?" Ranma and Akane started walking again.  
  
"Ukyou apologizes to me AND Akane, you're treating us to dinner and a movie, and Kasumi wasn't home to make dinner," Ranma listed off each point. "What's next? Ryouga deciding he's not mad at me anymore?"  
  
"He wouldn't be mad at you if you didn't¡¦" Akane's automatic response was cut off as they came in sight of Ucchan's.  
  
"What the hell happened here?" Ranma demanded as he stepped through the shattered doorway. "That's one of Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan craters."  
  
"Kasumi was with Ryouga," Akane said before they rushed into the okonomiyaki restaurant.  
  
~They must have told Ryouga,~ Nabiki thought to herself. ~When I get my hands on the little PIG¡¦~  
  
"Hey, Ukyou!" Ranma called out. "What happened!?"  
  
"Is anybody here?" Akane asked. "Kasumi?!"  
  
"RANMA!!!" Ranma and both sisters were surprised when a yellow blur seemed to appear out of nowhere and grab the pig-tailed martial artist in what seemed to be a bear hug. "I¡¯m SO SORRY!!! I didn't know!!" Akane stared as she felt every muscle in her body tense at the sudden and before now unimaginable event.  
  
~I didn't want to tell them yet, baka!~ Nabiki thought as she slapped her forehead and began to imagine all sorts of interesting tortures for a certain black pig.  
  
Ranma's reaction couldn't be gauged as the quest for oxygen had currently driven most conscious thoughts from his head. Though what little thought was left was taken up with wondering how Ryouga could flood tears and yet not get enough on either of them to trigger the transformations.  
  
"Oh my," a familiar voice called out. "Perhaps I shouldn't have reversed the pressure point so soon."  
  
"What's going on here?!" Akane demanded. A piece of paper floated down in front of her. She was going to ignore it, until Nabiki gasped and went for it. Akane snatched it and started reading.  
  
"Ryouga, you're suffocating him!" Ukyou shouted.  
  
"Huh?" Ryouga blinked and then dropped Ranma. "Oh, sorry." He reached back and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.  
  
"GAAASSP¡¦air¡¦"  
  
"This is Genma's handwriting," Akane noted, somewhat shakily. She glanced to the bottom of the page and blinked. "Page twenty!? Where's the rest of this?"  
  
"Scattered about my room when he blew up after reading it," Ukyou growled pointing at Ryouga. Nabiki glared at him.  
  
"Hello pig," Nabiki said quietly. Ryouga turned towards Nabiki and laughed nervously, trying to remind himself that it was just Nabiki and not some sort of vengeful spirit. Then his mind reminded him that a vengeful spirit of some sort would actually be preferable.  
  
"Hi¡¦Nabiki," Ryouga laughed quietly again, reaching his hand behind his head. ~I wonder what debtor's prison is like.~  
  
"Who are all you, and what have you done with our real friends?" Ranma asked nervously.  
  
"AHH!! HE CALLED ME A FRIEND!!"  
  
Ranma's eyes widened as he leaped out of the way of another hug.  
  
"What's going on?" Ranma demanded.  
  
"So much for the week, Nabiki," Kasumi sighed stepping downstairs, she was sorting through a pile of papers..  
  
"This is still family business," Nabiki insisted. "The police can have him later."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I think I have most of it, that page Akane has should be the last," Kasumi noted. Akane stared at the pile of paper that the one in her hand was soon added to.  
  
"Umm, Ranma," Akane said. "I think you should read that."  
  
"What is it?" He glanced at the sheaf of papers in Kasumi's hands.  
  
"Actually, perhaps I should read it to him," Kasumi suggested.  
  
"I could read it to him just as easily," Akane insisted, she had caught enough to know that this had the potential to be very painful for Ranma. She should be there for him.  
  
"I can read it myself you know," Ranma reminded them. "What is it?"  
  
"You're father's journal, Ranchan," Ukyou said quietly.  
  
"That ratty old book?" Ranma blinked. "The only junk he keeps that's worth anything is in scrolls."  
  
"And why don't you seem to want me to read it?" Akane demanded.  
  
"Before¡¦" Kasumi started  
  
"I don't have any problem with it," Nabiki shrugged. "Let her read it."  
  
"Nabiki," Kasumi fixed her cynical sister with a look before turning back to Akane. "Before you read this, Akane, you should really have a talk with Ryouga." The elder Tendo glanced at the lost boy who swallowed and glanced to Ukyou pleadingly.  
  
"You dug your own grave," the chef said, shrugging as Ryouga turned to face the curious, and moderately irritated, look on Akane's face. Akane turned back to her sister.  
  
"But¡¦"  
  
"I'll read it to Ranma," Kasumi promised her. She looked toward Ukyou. "Do you think you can prevent anything¡¦unpleasant."  
  
"I'll try," Ukyou said, a little unenthusiastically.  
  
"Nabiki, behave," Kasumi somehow making her normal, mild tone of voice sound very reproving.  
  
Nabiki returned the comment with a predatorily cocked head and arched eyebrow. As usual the effort was totally wasted on Kasumi who merely turned back to face Ranma. Nabiki paused to wonder if Kasumi didn't notice the comments in the look, or else just knew that she wouldn't try to upset her older sister.  
  
"Now, I think there are still some serviceable chairs upstairs," Kasumi said this considering the stairwell. "Ranma, would you please..." She smiled again and inclined her head.  
  
"Uh, sure," he glanced apprehensively at the stairwell. Everybody was looking at him like he was going to his execution.  
  
"What do you need to talk to me about," Akane asked shortly, more than a little irritated that whatever he had to say was keeping her from helping Ranma. Ranma glanced at Ryouga suspiciously.  
  
"Don't mind them Ranma," Kasumi instructed him. Ranma gave one more look towards Ryouga before taking the stairs, Kasumi following behind.  
  
"Okay, so what's in Oyaji's book that's making everyone act like pod people?" Ranma asked as she sat in Ukyou's desk chair. Ranma took a lotus position on the bed, more to remain at least near to eye level with Kasumi, than because there were no other chairs. He didn't usually mind the floor, though the scattered glass from Ukyou's shattered window was a point against that for now.  
  
"I am not certain what you mean by 'pod people', Ranma," Kasumi said. "I am almost finished checking the order, this won't take long."  
  
"Explain to me how you're P-CHAN!!" Ranma winced. At least he wasn't confessing his love to her.  
  
"Well, it looks to all be in order," Kasumi said. "This could prove to be¡¦painful Ranma, but we're all here."  
  
"Whatever," Ranma said. "Can we just get this over with before Akane kills Ryouga?" Kasumi looked amused at the comment, then she shook her head slightly and sadly.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
April 2, 1986  
  
Yesterday was the boy's fourth birthday. Now I can begin his training. I think I can improve upon the master's techniques. Every day and every event in his life is going to be some training. He is going to be the greatest martial artist of generation, and he will prove that I am greater than Happosai. The seppuku agreement I made with his mother will be a good motivator for later. For now I think I'll let him think that Nodoka is dead, or else that she abandoned us. It might make him bitter, more aggressive, less distracted from the art.  
  
He still hasn't earned a meal yet. Until he manages to protect his food I've told him he'll have to settle for water and bread. He hunts a great deal and hides to eat his kills. I've caught him a few times and taken the food. Lately it's been less, either he's stopped doing it, or he's getting better and hiding what he's doing.  
  
The Neko-Ken is an utter failure. Not only is the boy now terrified a mere cats, but even when the technique is triggered he is out of control. That is hardly a useful technique, a pity I don't have another child so I can start over. But he is much faster and resistant to pain now, so perhaps it isn't a total loss¡¦  
  
He's a lot less friendly now, perhaps the Neko-Ken was a good idea after all.  
  
The boy is an arrogant, loud-mouthed jerk. He couldn't make friends if he tried. For some reason he still does try. He's starting to become withdrawn and quiet, he doesn't talk much. I can't beat him consistently in a match any more. People are starting to notice that he's not in school, I've been here too long, but I still have things I need to do here. I am going to have to enroll him school it seems. Hopefully he'll see how weak everybody else is.  
  
Don't the untrained masses understand that they us martial artists their lives. We could destroy them in a heartbeat and yet we protect them. And they have the nerve to make us pay for food and such. Maybe school will show Ranma how pathetic the masses are, show him his true place in the world above them.  
  
I ran across a story of some cursed training ground. Apparently there are these pools that transform people into various things. The boy is very adamant about his manhood, as I've raised him to be, I read there was a girl spring¡¦  
  
Found the training ground, I managed to get cursed as well. The disobedient wretch tossed me into the spring of drowned panda. He was actually mad after that, however, and he wasn't holding back near as much as he usually does. I'm glad the curse can be reversed, thanks again to Hibiki for that revelation. The Amazon village went about as well as can be expected, Shampoo is a dangerous enemy it seems.  
  
He likes Akane, he made an attempt to make friends with her tonight. Fortunately she was sufficiently angered upon discovering that the boy was a boy. It¡¯s a hopeless relationship, good thing she was chosen as his fiancee, he won't possibly fall in love her. No chance for a distraction from the art.  
  
The boy is getting closer to Tendo's daughter. They still fight, but it is beginning to sound more like a game. Perhaps it is time for Tendo and I to enact another matchmaking plan.  
  
Kuno's sister is a wonderful tool. Wonderfully insane, a definite danger that the boy has to adapt to¡¦.  
  
Shampoo is trying to marry the boy now. I did not work this hard to see him end up as ONLY breeding material. If the Amazons get him he'll get no respect, no one would ever see the fruits of my work. At least Shampoo is totally brainless.  
  
Shampoo is more dangerous than I thought, her tricks are more dangerous than Kodachi's. Protecting Akane from her is driving the boy to new heights.  
  
The elder Cologne arrived, the crone reminds me of the master. She certainly is short and ugly enough. This could be good or bad.  
  
Cologne is either a gift from the gods or a curse. The boy hasn't been able to beat this cat's tongue thing yet. If he manages to, it means he's gotten much more skilled. Otherwise he'll end up a nameless Amazon male.  
  
The Neko-ken proves useful, the boy defeated Cologne with it. That should definitely be kept in the regimen.  
  
The boy hasn't learned to stop caring yet, hiding from Nodoka is tearing him apart. This shouldn't take too much more to drive him over the edge.  
  
She declared him manly!! With that curse and she claims that he's manly. She should have forced the issue and made him give up on Bushido entirely. Manly indeed.  
  
Ranma finally went full out and he KILLED A GOD! Unfortunately I was under a spell and missed most of the fight. It seems he was driven by his need to protect Akane. Maybe if I threaten her life again. The two are getting awfully close, maybe Nabiki would be a better choice for his fiancee. She would be a distraction certainly, but definitely an unwelcome one. He's too accepting of Akane, I need to take her out of the picture some how, though¡¦.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Its kind of quiet up there," Akane noted.  
  
"Let's just go ahead and neuter him," Nabiki said coldly, "Ukyou? Do you happen to have a dull knife handy?"  
  
"A dull knife?" Ryouga screamed.   
  
"Of course!" Nabiki said quite cooly, as though discussing the price of pork bellies with a business partner, "Castration is always done with a dull knife. Otherwise, the pig might bleed to death."   
  
Ryouga swallowed under her glare, he could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat. Then there was the faint feeling he supposed was from all the blood rushing to his head. The lost boy was hanging upside-down, one foot tied to a beam, very much like a piece of ham. A rope encircled him, immobilizing his arms.  
  
"He's not a pervert, Nabiki," Akane returned. "If he tried to be he'd just faint dead away at the first sign of flesh." Nabiki shrugged.  
  
"I'll forgive him when he shows he's worthy of it," Nabiki said.  
  
"Aren't you the one that agreed with this idea?" Ukyou asked pointing at Ryouga.  
  
"Yeah, but HE thought of it," Akane said pointing to Ryouga, then she changed the subject. "Just how bad is that 'journal'?"  
  
"Among other things," Nabiki started. "He set Ryouga and Ukyou up to chase him, went to Jusenkyo deliberately, and the Amazon village. There was also the bit about drugging Ukyou so she'd be suitably aggressive at the wedding." Akane's jaw dropped and she looked to Ukyou who appeared chagrined.  
  
"I should have known something was strange," Ukyou whispered contritely.  
  
"Hey it wasn't your fault," Ryouga said. "How can you expect to catch things when you can't think straight?"  
  
"I still should have noticed," Ukyou protested, though she still glanced at Ryouga thankfully.  
  
"I didn't notice," Nabiki pointed out. "How can the rest of you be expected to catch it?"  
  
"We're not idiots Nabiki," Akane hmphed. Nabiki arched an eyebrow. The sound of soft footsteps on the stairs caught their attention. Looking up they saw Kasumi looking pale and upset, she paused for a moment and put her hand to her chest as she caught her breath. In her other hand she was holding the printed journal.  
  
"There's the other thing too¡¦" Ryouga noted, eyes narrowed, Nabiki and Ukyou glanced at Akane and looked nervous.  
  
"What other thing?" Akane asked.  
  
"He¡¦AHHHHEEEEEE!!!!" The scream turned high-pitched toward the end as his free leg was jerked down. Nabiki smirked.  
  
"Sorry about that," Ukyou apologized as sincerely as she could. "I lost my balance for a moment."  
  
"No problem," Ryouga answered in a high, squeaky voice. Akane sweatdropped.  
  
"Akane, dear," Kasumi called out.   
  
"Yes?" Akane called out nervously.  
  
"Can you come up here please?" Akane looked around nervously and then walked upstairs. She looked at her sister and then turned toward Ukyou's room and saw Ranma just staring with an unreadable expression on his face. "He needs some support, and I think you are the better candidate."  
  
"H..hai¡¦" she stared at the collection of papers and narrowed her eyes. Then she turned around approached Ranma.  
  
Kasumi fanned herself and then noticed what she was using and held it out again at arm's length as she walked downstairs. She set the bundle down and looked around the restaurant.  
  
"I see the lights survived," Kasumi commented. She wandered over to the counter-grill and walked to where the beverages were kept. "You don't serve alcohol." She closed the fridge and sighed. Everybody stared at her.  
  
"You¡¦drink?" Nabiki managed finally. Kasumi shrugged.  
  
"About once a year," Kasumi explained with an embarrassed smile. "It's why I sometimes have difficulty waking up after the anniversary of Mother's death. But I could make an exception for tonight." She noticed Ryouga finally, walked over and turned him to face her. She stared down at him and then bent over to try and meet him face to face. "You make a lot of noise, do you know that?"  
  
"Well¡¦" Ryouga giggled nervously as Kasumi righted herself again.  
  
"How's Ranchan taking it?" Ukyou asked nervously. Kasumi looked up at the ceiling.  
  
"As well as can be expected," she answered. "He hasn't said anything yet."  
  
"I think I'm passing out here," Ryouga noted.  
  
"Did you hear something," Nabiki asked.  
  
"Nope," Ukyou shrugged, her arm smacking into Ryouga and starting him spinning, albeit slowly.  
  
"Kasumi?" Ryouga pleaded.  
  
"With all your battles and training, you can't handle this?" Kasumi asked curiously, though she did bend down to check Ryouga's pulse.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Ranma?" Akane whispered. He looked at her with a sort of shocked expression.  
  
"If it wasn't Kasumi¡¦" he whispered. Akane sat down next to him and hesitantly touched grabbed his hand. "Not once in that thing does he ever write down my name, everybody else's name is there, but me? The boy, the boy, the boy." He narrowed his eyes and growled out the words.  
  
"Maybe he thought you'd recognize your own name," she added hopefully. Ranma looked at her and snorted.  
  
"He wanted my mom to declare me unmanly, he tried to cook Ryouga, drugged Ukyou so that she'd act crazy at our wedding," he said quietly.  
  
"They told me that downstairs," she said. ~Perhaps not the part about your mother, or cooking Ryouga, but, well.~  
  
"There's something else too." Ranma hesitated and looked down. "Well there are a lot of something elses, but¡¦"  
  
"Go on," Akane said. ~This must be that "other thing" they were talking about.~   
  
He sighed and then looked her directly in the face. "He talks about getting rid of you."  
  
"Oh," Akane was shocked and sat up straight for a moment.  
  
"He wanted a monster, so he made me." That snapped Akane out of her momentary daze  
  
"Ranma, you are not a monster," she insisted  
  
"I asked you once if you could tell me what I have without my strength and you couldn't give me an answer," Ranma protested.  
  
"Kami-sama, I was EMBARRASSED. Baka," She rubbed the brow of her nose and shook her head. "You routinely help your enemies out of trouble even though you know they'll be attacking you as soon as they get what they want. You helped Happosai because you felt sorry for him!"  
  
"I didn't think you.."  
  
"Noticed?" she lifted her eyes heavenward for patience. "You're a jerk, and an idiot, and you really DON'T know how to help people outside of a fight, but you're hardly a monster."  
  
"Thanks, I think," Ranma muttered.  
  
"Happosai is a monster, your father sounds like a monster," Akane continued. "YOU are a martial artist." Ranma smiled briefly and frowned again.  
  
"The best," he added hollowly. Akane frowned as he went back to staring at the floor.  
  
"Kami-sama," she muttered a little angrily before taking Ranma's head around and kissing him before he could react. After several long moments she let him go. "Do you need any other proof that you're not a monster? Because I certainly wouldn't kiss a monster." Ranma sputtered and stared at her as she sat smiled at him in what she hoped was an encouraging manner.  
  
"Thanks, Akane.." Ranma started, shaking his head to clear it.  
  
"AAAHHHH!!! Go OUTSIDE to be sick!" Ukyou cried out from below to interrupt them.  
  
"Maybe we should go downstairs and figure something out," Akane said reluctantly, standing up.   
  
"We could just feed him to Nabiki," Ranma grumbled as he stood up, accepting Akane's offered hand. Akane smirked at the joke.  
  
They walked down stairs and faced their friend's expectant faces. Nabiki was looking at the both of them with an expression similar to one Ranma wore often enough while protecting Akane. Ukyou mostly looked guilty, but she was occasionally emitting sparks of a fiery orange aura as she worked to clean the mess on her floor. Kasumi's expression was, as usual, unreadable. As for Ryouga, he'd passed out. Ranma noted his rival's position and glanced at Akane nervously.   
  
One thing he didn't notice was pity, and he was glad of that. Of course pity had to come from a position of superiority, and Ryouga and Ukyou's lives were almost as thoroughly ruined as Ranma's. Genma had been starting on the Tendo sisters as well. All in all, everybody was in too much the same situation for there to be much in the way of pity.  
  
"Sorry Ucchan," Ranma said finally. He considered apologizing to Ryouga, but unconscious people didn't hear too well.  
  
"About what?" the chef asked, before returning to the distasteful task of cleaning up the former contents of Ryouga's stomach.  
  
"About being mad about the wedding," he explained quietly.  
  
"Me too," Akane added reluctantly.  
  
"Why are you two apologizing?" Ukyou asked, she mentally winced at identifying the pair of them as a couple again, but tried not to let it show. "It's the panda's fault. Besides I could have seriously hurt somebody, you had a right to be mad."  
  
"Well..." Ranma shrugged and then let the subject drop. "What's next?"  
  
"It is rather late," Kasumi noted. "Perhaps we should save this discussion for tomorrow. Ryouga-san has already chosen to get some rest it seems." Everybody took a moment to figure out if she was being serious or witty. "I'm certain something will come to one of us by then." Everybody agreed to that, plans already hatching in more than one mind.  
  
Ukyou cut down Ryouga and tried to wake him up. She was mumbling something about learning to clean up his own messes as she did. Ranma and the Tendo sisters left in a group, though Ranma and, Akane soon dropped away from the elder two. Neither felt like returning to the dojo that night. Nabiki and Kasumi had to have noticed, but neither commented on it. Ranma and Akane could take care of themselves quite well, at least physically.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Akane watched Ranma carefully as he walked to the edge of the water in the canal. She could feel the chill falling out from him in waves. Everybody thought that pride and confidence were at Ranma's center. The Mouko Takabisha seemed proof enough of that. Akane would certainly have agreed, until Jusendo.  
  
It was not his pride that served them most at Jusendo. It was his adaptability. It was his control. It was his cool. The pride was just a side effect, just as Saffron's death was a side effect of his need to save her life. He had given the phoenix every chance to get out of the way, Saffron just didn't listen.   
  
Akane watched as Ranma projected his fury and betrayal in a cold wave over out from his body. She frowned as the air around him started to mist over, revealing a slight swirl in the wind pattern. The mist thickened to the point that it condensed, covering Ranma in a fine coating of cold water, and changing him into a her. The chill continued to deepen until Ranma was standing in the middle of a small snow flurry.  
  
Ranma suddenly extended her hand with a growl and the chill extended over the canal. Akane gasped as the water froze over. As the flooding began further up the current, she realized that the entire section of the waterway had frozen straight through and was blocking the flow. Then she set her face in a determined cast and strode forward.  
  
"Ranma," Akane said cautiously. "You don't have to do this, it's not your fault."  
  
"Go away, Akane," Ranma said. "You might get hurt." The red-head didn't turn to face her, so she didn't see Akane narrow her eyes in irritation briefly.  
  
~Akane no baka, you don't want to prick his pride right now,~ she thought in response to her rising anger. ~You want to calm him down.~ How get him to notice her past the swirling snow and wall of cold chi, however, baffled her. Akane paused a moment as an idea entered her head. She momentarily closed her eyes and worked inside to call her own battle aura out, concentrating on trying comfort Ranma.  
  
As the air around her warmed up she opened her eyes and paid careful attention to not look at the flickering aura around her body. That would just distract her, and she didn't want to be distracted. The aura faded into invisibility as she concentrated on extending it outward.  
  
The circle of her aura was not as large as Ranma's, but it was stable. Where the two circles met, snow again became mist. That was all Akane needed to know as she continued her walk forward. As the circles converged on each other, the stars began to disappear from the sky above.  
  
Ranma frowned as the temperature rose around her. She had thought that her control was much better than that. Yet here she was, losing hold of her aura, letting something distract her from her attempt to freeze the canal solid. She didn't realize what was happening until the sensation of a warm and gentle touch, directed him to turn and face Akane.  
  
"Akane.." Ranma started, but the raven-haired girl smiled and placed a finger on her lips to silence her.  
  
"You're hurting yourself, baka," she said.  
  
"So, my life's ruined anyway," the red-head protested. The clouds above began to expand in roiling billows. "The old man..." Akane silenced him again.  
  
"He doesn't matter, Ranma," she smiled softly, radiating concern and comfort. She took another step forward and embraced the surprised martial-artist. Lightning played along the underside of the overcast as fire and ice met. "I guess you need more proof."  
  
"But we're both..."  
  
"Shh, it DOESN'T matter," Akane whispered as she kissed the smaller girl. The first rumble of thunder was heard over head as the kiss began. The rain started several minutes later, but the chi-created storm wouldn't hit its peak for another hour yet.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"What are you looking at," Ukyou asked angrily. Ryouga, who was supposed to be helping her, was staring at her nervously.  
  
"That's not healthy," he said simply, pointing at her.  
  
"What?" she demanded. "What's not healthy!?" Orange sparks of aura danced around her.  
  
"That!" He pointed at her. "You need to release that chi."  
  
"Well excuse me," she growled. "Not all of us are used to erupting into a volcano every time they feel a little down."  
  
"Its tainted, Ukyou," he tried to explain. "It'll just keep getting worse if you don't release it. THAT'S why I get rid of it as soon as I can."  
  
"I want to be good and angry next time I see the panda," she snapped. "Back to work!'  
  
"If you don't release the chi, it'll kill you Ukyou," he said simply. "And probably take out a good portion of the neighborhood with you."  
  
"Okay, fine," Ukyou throw down her broom. "How do I 'release it,' P-chan?" Ryouga tried not to get angry.  
  
"Let's step outside for a moment first," Ryouga suggested. "Unless you WANT a hole in your roof."  
  
"I'm not doing anything anywhere NEAR my restaurant," Ukyou snapped. "But if you insist on me, releasing, let's go!" She zipped past him and out the door, not caring if she lost him or not. When she stopped inside the gates of Furinkan she was surprised to see him still with her. "How did you follow me!?"  
  
"I CAN follow something I can see," Ryouga explained. "And you're lit up like it was the new-year." Ukyou growled radiating more of those fiery orange sparks.  
  
"I thought you wanted to help me get rid of this," she said tightly.  
  
"I do, call your battle aura," he told her. Ukyou narrowed her eyes, but reached to summon that clarity of focus that indicated the presence of a battle aura about her. As the sight of so many flattened Kunos flared into life, Ryouga swallowed nervously. "Good, now try to force it all into the space between your hands."  
  
"How do I do that?" she demanded.  
  
"Umm, imagine you're holding the panda's head," he suggested quickly. "Like this." He held his hands out for to draw his Shi Shi Hokodan, and Ukyou watched the chi start to form in his hands.  
  
"Okay," Ukyou closed her eyes and focused on the space between her hands.  
  
"POINT UP!!" he added hastily. Ukyou opened her eyes a crack to glare at him, but prepared to throw her arms upward anyway.  
  
The panda had taken her friend away. He had given her a hope for love and family, and smashed it. He had tortured and manipulated her oldest friend. He had almost made her the instrument of another friend's death. Almost made her lose the two best friends she had. He had taken her carefully planned life and revealed it as a joke. He had drugged her. He had made her lose control, and brought a chaos that hadn't been there before. She growled before tossing her hands upward.  
  
"KONTON SUTERU!!""SHI SHI HOKODAN!!" A pillar of wild chi-flame rose into the sky alongside the even, symmetrical cylinder of green power that was Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan. Every window in the front of the school shattered inward, and the two martial artist's were treated to a virtual rain of leaves from the trees in the courtyard. Something in the chem-lab reacted and an explosion opened up a corner of the school. As the chi-pillars subsided, both martial artists stared upward wearily.  
  
"Feel better?" Ryouga asked after a long moment.   
  
"Actually, yeah," Ukyou said. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem," Ryouga shrugged. He paused for a moment and then he just HAD to ask. "chaos rejection?"  
  
"It sounds better than panda killer," Ukyou said. The sound of the school's fire alarm reached their ears. "We'd better go before they find us here, besides it looks like its going to rain." Ryouga glanced that direction and stared.  
  
"Ranma and Akane," he muttered and slumped. ~I knew it was too late any way.~  
  
"What are you talking about," she asked, but could already guess the answer.  
  
"Its like a hiryu shoten ha, but its much stronger and developing much slower," he said pointing at the developing storm. "It takes two auras for that, one hot..."  
  
"Akane," Ukyou said, realizing. "And one cold?"  
  
"Ranma," Ryouga nodded resignedly.  
  
"Let's go home," Ukyou said absently.  
  
"Yeah, we still need to clean up," Ryouga agreed, not noticing how she had grouped them.  
  
"And think about how to kill the panda," Ukyou agreed. The two martial artists left for Ucchan's.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Kasumi, I assume you managed to get Ryouga home," Soun said as she and Nabiki returned home.  
  
"He's being taken care of, father," Kasumi said sweetly. She ignored Genma glancing in their direction, while trying not to take his eyes off the shogi board.  
  
"Where are Ranma and Akane?" he asked, as if just curious. "Weren't they with you, Nabiki?"  
  
"They were," she said, shrugging. "I have no idea where they are now. With those two, who knows?" She yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm off to bed, early day tomorrow."  
  
"I would like some rest as well," Kasumi agreed. "I'll need to be up early to catch up with the chores I missed today."  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Cologne stood at the window of her room and gazed out warily. There was a massive amount of chi in the air, she could feel the tingle even before she saw the paired pillars and the storm that was developing with supernatural speed. As the storm suddenly erupted into a veritable sheet of water she sighed.  
  
Something had happened tonight. Something incredible enough to awaken the chi potential of at least one person. She turned from the window and walked to her bed, wondering just what had happened to Ranma this time.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Ukyou, and a little black piglet that she was holding by the scrap of its bandanna, arrived to find Konatsu standing in the remains of Ucchan's dining room. There were a few bags on the counter obviously filled. Ukyou idly wondered just how he had managed to find all the things she had asked him to get.  
  
"Ukyou-sama, what happened here?"  
  
"Ryouga got depressed," Ukyou explained dryly. "Didn't you notice the crater out front?"  
  
"Oh yes," Konatsu nodded. "Now that you mention it the damage is fairly familiar. Isn't that Akane-san's pet pig?" Ukyou deposited the embarrassed looking pig on the remains of a table along with a of pile clothes that Konatsu recognized as Ryouga's.  
  
"Nope, he's going to be staying here for a while," Ukyou said. "At least until he can pay for all of this."  
  
"How can a pig¡¦" Konatsu glanced at the nervous pig and the pile of clothes. "He's Ryouga, isn't he."  
  
"You got it, sugar," Ukyou said, yawning on her way upstairs. "Can you get him set up please, I'd do it myself, but¡¦" She gestured at the pile of clothes she had deposited and blushed. "Anyway, I'm tired, see you tomorrow guys."  
  
"But¡¦" Konatsu paused as he heard the door to Ukyou's room close and then looked toward the little black piglet. "Ukyou-sama only has the one guest room, but I think I can find something for you." Ryouga swallowed nervously as he recognized the jealous glint in Konatsu's eyes.  
  
"BWEE!!"  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Why that FIEND!" Konatsu gasped. "How could he do that to his own son and my Ukyou-Sama. He must die!!" Shampoo halted her bike and stared at the ninja girl who was sitting in the park flipping through a sheath of papers. If those papers had something to do with her airen, then maybe she could use it against him.  
  
"Putting Spatula-girl's waitress in hospital good for business too," she added cheerily as she veered her bike towards Konatsu. To her surprise the ninja turned to face her and easily avoided the Bicycle of Death.  
  
"Xian Pu-san?" he asked, confused. Shampoo stared in surprise that someone had dodged her bicycle strike for once and then dismounted to press the attack.  
  
"Give Shampoo papers!!!" The girl growled.  
  
"Ukyou-sama did not want me reading this information," Konatsu insisted, dodging Shampoo's attacks. "I do not wish to further try her patience by passing them on to you."  
  
"Is fine, Shampoo want punish ninja girl anyway," Shampoo smiled viciously. After several exchanges the ninja seemed to melt out of her reach and she was dodging a shower of shurikens.  
  
"Punish me for what, Xian Pu-san?" Konatsu asked a little irritated that her quest to avenge Ukyou-sama was held up by this woman. "I have done nothing to you."  
  
"You mistress in Shampoo way," the blue-haired girl insisted. "And you help, is obstacle, and obstacles is for killing!"  
  
"I have business to attend to Xian Pu-san," Konatsu insisted with narrowed eyes. Shampoo growled as the ninja seemed to just melt away from her attacks.  
  
"Stand still and fight!!" Shampoo insisted just before a short length of weighted chain wrapped around her ankle and pulled. The amazon found herself propelled against a tree. As she was reeling back from that found herself wrapped in a tight web of thin, ultra-strong thread.  
  
"I don't have time for this," Konatsu insisted, leaping away. Shampoo stared off in shock at the defeat and then smirked as she saw that the ninja had left the papers behind. Getting free took only as long as waiting for Mousse to find her.  
  
~Stupid ninja girl pay for this,~ Shampoo growled.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Nabiki released her breath in relief as she saw Ranma and Akane heading to school ahead of her. With that storm that had gone on all night, she had been mildly worried when they didn't show up at home by morning. She decided to jog a little and catch up with the pair of girls, which Ranma was at the moment.  
  
"Hey guys," the brown haired girl called out. Ranma and Akane turned to look at her and waited for her to catch up.  
  
"Hey, oneesan," Ranma waved, a little reserved, though that was normal for him. Nabiki noted that they both looked moderately smug and satisfied, which she found odd considering last night's revelations.  
  
"We were worried about you this morning."  
  
"Oh, sorry about that," Akane said quietly. Nabiki took a look at their sodden clothes, lack of school bags, and the clasped hands.  
  
"You should probably go back and get your bags and some new clothes," Nabiki suggested. "Being to school on to time won't be worth much without those. Besides you still have time."  
  
"If Ranma carries me," Akane agreed. The red-head blushed, Akane smirked at her. "I need to learn that roof-hopping trick."  
  
"I'm not sure about..."  
  
"Father and the panda are out looking for you," Nabiki told them. "I made some comment about Kuno and they were suddenly off to uproot the Kuno estate."  
  
"Oh...thanks," Ranma said quietly. Akane's grip on her hand tightened.  
  
"So looks like you two found the clouds and rain," Nabiki said snidely. Both girls stared at her wide-eyed and blushed furiously. Nabiki blinked, and then started blushing herself. "It was a joke...oh my...uh...congratulations? Uh...I have to go..." Nabiki left before she could further stick her foot in her mouth.  
  
"I hope she doesn't say anything," Ranma said.  
  
"I don't think she will," Akane suggested hopefully. "At least I hope not."  
  
"Otherwise the next thing you know we'll be getting asked to go make rain everywhere," Ranma agreed.  
  
"Its so embarrassing," Akane muttered. "We FLOODED the canal."  
  
"It was kind of nice sleeping in Tofu's old place though," Ranma said. "For once nobody to attack us in the middle of the night."  
  
"Yeah, it was," Akane smiled at her. Both of them continued toward the dojo, blissfully unaware of the conclusions the middle Tendo had come to.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Ukyou looked about in confusion. Ryouga hadn't been in Konatsu's room, though she hadn't really expected that. He wasn't in her, admittedly tiny, living room, or anywhere in the decimated dining area. She had checked the kitchen, the small office, and even the storeroom. Konatsu had left before she could get specifics out of him.  
  
~Jackass got himself lost,~ Ukyou told herself. "Doesn't he know better than that, well if he's lost the chance to kill the panda, I don't mind taking him all myself." She remembered passing his pack and clothes in the living room and considered that. "Maybe he's still a pig."  
  
Ukyou shrugged as she passed through the walk-in cooler and opened the freezer door to get some ingredients for breakfast. All thoughts of food fled at the sight of a thoroughly miserable looking piglet staring at her as she opened the door. She stared for a full second before snatching the piglet up, rushing to her bathroom and running a hot bath for the piglet.  
  
"JUST HOW DID YOU GET IN THE FREEZER!!!"  
  
"I th-th-think your waitress has a c..crush on you," Ryouga told her. Then the fact that he was alone in a room with a girl, and no clothes came crashing in on him. Ukyou blinked as his nose started bleeding and he fainted.  
  
"Jackass," Ukyou growled, and hauled him out of the water before he drowned. Slumping him over the side of the tub she went downstairs to collect his clothes. Which was when she noticed something else that was missing. "Oh no."  
  
"Where am I?" Ryouga asked himself as he came to, shortly before Ukyou slammed the door open and tossed his clothes in.  
  
"The journal's gone!" she snapped.  
  
"What?" Ryouga blinked. "We have to¡¦" He dropped back into the tub as Ukyou's spatula connected with his head. "What did you that for?!"  
  
"First, you spent all night in a freezer," Ukyou noted. "But MOST important, you're naked and I'M still in here!"  
  
"Oh¡¦" Ryouga chuckled nervously as Ukyou growled and left the room. "Why is it girls can walk in on guys, and its still our fault?" He pondered that momentarily as he continued to soak last night's chill out of his body.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Nabiki could only stare as she approached the school and saw the construction crews. Students were arriving and being sent home as they showed up. As she walked up to the gates she noted the large crater right next to a large circular scorch mark. She recognized the crater as one of the side effects of Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan, but the other was a new damage type.  
  
The school itself was showing mixes of water damage and a fire. From what she could tell it had started in the chem lab. Considering some of the stuff that went on in there she thought that perhaps it had even burned through the storm for a time.  
  
"Okay, what's this?" Nabiki asked a random construction worker.  
  
"Between that freak storm and whatever martial artists were fighting here last night," the construction worker explained. "The school just couldn't take it, we'll have the repairs finished in time for classes tomorrow young lady."  
  
"Oh swell," Nabiki sighed. Between accidentally discovering Akane and Ranma's activities (as she thought they were) last night, and this, the day was already very strange. At least now she had the time to make some calls. It was time to test just WHO was the better schemer.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Hello, Tendo training hall," Kasumi spoke softly into the telephone. "Oh, Ukyou, it certainly is early¡¦.Oh my, that could be a problem. Oh no, we can make another copy. Father and Saotome-san left for the Kuno residence. I'll leave it to you and Ryouga then."  
  
"Tadaima!" Kasumi looked to the front door as Ranma and Akane, looking like they had been dragged through the mud, appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Oh, there you two are," she blinked at them, titled her head, and looked at them blankly. Which was about as close to a frown as she usually got. "Perhaps you two need a bath?"  
  
"We're heading that way, Kasumi," Akane promised her. "Nabiki said Dad was out with¡¦him?"  
  
"Yes, that's right."  
  
"Good, maybe we can head out to school before they get back," Ranma muttered heading gingerly for the stairs and trying not to leave a mess.  
  
"Oh, school's canceled," Kasumi told them. "It was just on the news, flooding and some kind of fire I believe." Ranma and Akane stopped and stared at her.  
  
"Flooding?"  
  
"Yes, like you're doing to my floor," Kasumi pointed, still speaking sweetly. Akane and Ranma looked down, and then rushed for the bathroom. "Bath separately." She called out as they vanished into the furo. Kasumi smiled slightly and moved to clean the mess they had just made.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Konatsu finally found his prey, the fat older man was a striking a stolid pose and seeming to be investigating the estate before him. Konatsu glanced about and saw Akane-san's father taking a more active stance in their search and walking around the wall looking for the easiest entrance. It was good that he'd overheard Nabiki-san speaking to Ranma and Akane, otherwise he might never have found the beast that had so misused his Ukyou-sama.  
  
The male kunoichi smiled demurely before launching his attack. Genma flashed around in time to see the shower of shurikens and dodge.  
  
"Aren't you that Kuonji girl's waitress?" Genma asked as he took a fighting stance. Konatsu smiled and faced him, glancing back to see Soun approaching.  
  
Konatsu answered by launching a storm of shuriken at the retreating martial artist. Genma smirked as he casually dodged past them all.  
  
"I don't know why you're attacking me, girl," he declared. "But you've made a mistake taking on a master of the Saotome school of Anything Goes martial arts."  
  
"Excuse me, miss," Soun called out. "But why are you attacking my friend?" As the fight became aerial it became obvious that he wouldn't be able to aid his friend.  
  
"He must die for crimes against, my mistress," Konatsu declared, dodging an attack by the fat martial artist. Genma was frowning now, the ninja "girl" refused to stand and fight. He would have to alter his strategy a little.  
  
"There he is!!" a shout called out. "Konatsu, I want to talk to you!!"  
  
"Ukyou-sama?" The brief distraction was all Genma needed as he launched a ki-enlarged punch at the ninja. Konatsu turned around in time to see the huge fist smash into the Kuno estate wall.  
  
"KONATSU!!" Ukyou growled. "Hurry up, Ryouga!!"   
  
"I'm right behind you, Ukyou!" Ryouga's voice called out, Genma and Soun turned to see them charging down the street.  
  
Genma took a moment to try and gauge his chances in the upcoming fight, and swallowed hard. He didn't know what had set them all off, but he did know that Ryouga at least could give Ranma a run for his money. With Soun's help maybe he could win, after all the girl couldn't be that good.  
  
"Ready, Tendo?" Saotome glanced to his friend and noted that Soun seemed a little confused and hesitant, but he did fall into stance just the same. Both turned to face the oncoming charge and were surprised as both teens fell back and cupped their hands around air.  
  
"SHI SHI HOKODAN!!!" "KONTON SUTERU!!!"  
  
Soun watched as wild blast of orange chi-fire intersected with Ryouga's Shi Shi Hokodan to form one large chi column blazing toward his friend. Genma saw it too and wisely leapt clear.  
  
~Okay, maybe I couldn't take the girl, either..~ he thought as he utilized the Saotome Secret Technique.  
  
"Saotome you coward!!" Soun called out as the two younger martial artists charged towards him. He prepared to defend himself to death, when they both paused and bowed to him.  
  
"Excuse us Tendo-san," Ryouga said, before continuing to race after the fleeing Genma.  
  
"We're having a slight problem with Ranma's father," Ukyou explained calmly, then turned to where Konatsu was standing up. "COMING KONATSU!?!" Letting the effeminate boy know exactly how irritated she was with him.  
  
"H..h¡¦hai, Ukyou-Sama." Then the three teens vanished after Genma.  
  
"What is going on here?"  
  
"Where's the journal, Konatsu?" Ukyou growled. "And I'm not going to mention where I found Ryouga this morning."  
  
"Umm, thank you, Ukyou-sama, I'm sorry but couldn't help myself," he swallowed as they ran. "In either case."  
  
"WAIT UP, JACKASS!! You'll just get lost!"  
  
"We're going to lose him!" Ryouga called back.  
  
"Where's the Journal Konatsu."  
  
"I¡¦lost it."  
  
"WHAT!!?"  
  
"I had a slight altercation with that Chinese girl before finding the beast," Konatsu noted. "Maybe I left it behind then?"  
  
"Great," she turned back to face Ryouga. "Don't lose him, Ryouga, or the Amazons will get first crack!!!"  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Shampoo give ninja girl Kiss of Death next time she see her," Shampoo declared pacing back and forth while Cologne and Mousse read through the Japanese script with growing expressions of disgust. Cologne paused a moment to face her granddaughter.  
  
"You were beaten my Kuonji's¡¦waitress?"  
  
"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo said after a moments hesitation.  
  
"This could be a problem," Cologne noted before returning to her reading. "That ninja is a boy, not a girl." Shampoo stared at her great-grandmother in shock and horror. She imagined for a moment Cologne deciding that this more recent defeat was more binding than her past one to Ranma. Konatsu served Ukyou, if Shampoo married he¡¦him, the laws of this backward place would say that she too served the spatula-girl. The amazon briefly pondered this before fainting dead away.  
  
The sound of a vast array of thrown objects passing through the air brought Cologne's attention to the street in time to see Genma Saotome flee past among a cloud of various projectiles. Three enraged teens followed close on his heels.  
  
"I have read enough of this to know something of what must be done," Cologne said. Then turned to Mousse. "Wake up Shampoo, we have to make sure they leave something for Amazon justice."  
  
"Indeed, and I had always thought Ranma was the devil Saotome," Mousse nodded. The three amazons joined the chase in the next moment. Though Shampoo was still uncertain of just why they were chasing Ranma's father.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Do you have any idea of what you're going to do?" Akane asked cautiously as Ranma, male after his bath, joined her in the dojo. This was something that had to be dealt with quickly, before the panda did something drastic.  
  
"I have some ideas," Ranma muttered. "Not sure they'll work though." He sat down next to her. "This isn't the kind of thing I can just beat up you know."  
  
"Why not?" Akane asked grimly.  
  
"What would that prove," Ranma asked. "I do that all the time anyway."  
  
"Oh, I see your point," Akane frowned. "So what will you do then?" Ranma held up his hand and started picking off points on his fingers.  
  
"The way I see it I can give up martial arts, not going to happen," Ranma said that as a definite. "I can abandon the Saotome name, but I ain't going ronin; I can kill him, but he might look at that as proof he was right, besides he IS my father. Unfortunately. Nabiki's who I want to talk to, and Mom."  
  
"Ranma! Akane!" they turned around to face Soun barreling into the dojo. "Do you have any idea as to why Ukyou, Ryouga and that ninja waitress are trying to kill your father?" Akane and Ranma looked at each other and then glared toward Soun.  
  
"A very good idea, dad," Akane said. "Though I haven't actually read it yet."  
  
"Read what?" Soun asked as Ranma and Akane stood up. Ranma tossed him a much fingered through journal. Akane blinked for a moment and then stared at Ranma.  
  
"I always knew where it was," he shrugged. "I just didn't know what was in it."  
  
"Father, did you say that Ryouga and Ukyou were trying to kill Saotome-san," Kasumi asked as she breezed into the dojo. She looked at the book in his hands and turned to Ranma and Akane. "Is that what I think it is?"  
  
"Yeah, tell Dad what's going on," Akane said. "We have to go make sure they don't take our pound of flesh."  
  
"Akane you really must pay attention after you've been reading Shakespeare," Kasumi noted. "You sometimes sound like Kuno." Akane blushed a little before she and Ranma left the dojo at a run.  
  
"Kasumi, what is going on?" Soun asked.  
  
"Ranma's father has some things to answer for, Father," Kasumi noted.  
  
As they left the dojo complex Akane had a sudden thought.  
  
"Shouldn't Nabiki be back by now," she gasped.  
  
"You don't think¡¦" Ranma stopped and narrowed his eyes. "If he's done anything, we'll make him pay."  
  
They didn't have to go far before a sight very familiar to Nerimans passed by. A parade of pursuers chasing after a Saotome, the only difference being that the Saotome in question was much older than the usual victim.  
  
"How the HELL did the amazon's get involved in this?" Ranma asked angrily.  
  
"Well, do you see any way to stop this," Akane asked dryly. "Or should we just join in?"  
  
"I'm still trying to get used the idea of not being the one getting chased," Ranma muttered. He looked to the rooftops and ran over past chases in his head. "Come on, Akane."  
  
"RANMA!! They went that way!!" Akane shouted as she lifted up and suddenly flying through the air in Ranma's arms.  
  
"Trust me on this one Akane," Ranma said.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"So you see the problem, Auntie," Nabiki said as her lunch guess flipped through papers at random. Nabiki really didn't want so many copies of the thing floating around, but since Ukyou had the only other printed copy, and she didn't want to move the original, she had to make another one.  
  
"How can I be certain that this isn't a forgery, Nabiki," Nodoka asked seriously. "I am well aware of your reputation."  
  
"To tell you the truth, Auntie," Nabiki said shrugging. "My reputation is little bit more extensive than I am. I could forge a page maybe, but that entire thing? Even with my computer it would take me too long to be worth it. I'd lose too much money."  
  
"So I can trust you because it isn't practical," Nodoka repeated. Nabiki shrugged and yawned as if bored.  
  
"I checked the records," Nabiki said. "There are currently only three Saotomes on the list of names, Ranma, Genma, and you. I suppose I could work a fourth one in with Ranko, but it¡¯s a little risky. If Ranma and Akane get married though¡¦"  
  
"What are you planning?" Nodoka asked suspiciously.  
  
"A little clan restructuring," Nabiki said, smiling evilly.  
  
"Isn't that Ranma and Akane outside?" Nodoka pointed past Nabiki's shoulders.  
  
"Huh?" Nabiki, blinked and looked to see Ranma setting her sister down. "What are they doing here?" Nabiki stood up and started walking to the doorway when she saw the dust cloud. "Oh¡¦my¡¦Auntie Saotome, get down!!" Nabiki rushed back to the rear of the diner as the parade came closer.  
  
"What seems to be¡¦oh," the two of them ducked behind one of the booths and prepared for an explosion.  
  
"How did you know they'd be coming here?" Akane asked.  
  
"With all the times I've been chased across this town?" Ranma answered. He turned back to the approaching crowd, and extended his arm. "Ready?"  
  
"Yep," Akane cracked her knuckles. They both waited patiently for the older Saotome to approach before pouncing on the distracted martial artist. After being used to make a new doorway in the diner, Genma found himself pinned against a wall and facing all manners of nasty weapons.  
  
"Where's my sister!!" Akane demanded.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Genma demanded. "And which sister are you talking about."  
  
"Nabiki you old freak!" Ranma snapped. "School's out, but she ain't gotten home yet."  
  
"Nabiki's missing?!" Ukyou gasped.  
  
"What, did you find out she showed us all your little book?" Ryouga growled.  
  
"You mean those papers Shampoo take from ninja g¡¦boy?" Shampoo asked confused.  
  
"You've all seen my book then?" Genma swallowed nervously.  
  
"Yeah, now WHERE'S my SISTER!!?" Akane growled grabbing Genma away from Ranma.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute," Genma declared. "How do you know she didn't just fake it? This is Nabiki we're talking about after all." Everybody stared at him blankly.  
  
"You don't really think we're THAT stupid, do you?" Cologne asked.  
  
"Actually, yes," Genma smirked and chuckled in a superior tone. Now he finally got to see how well he had succeeded with Ranma. "It took you all long enough to figure it out."  
  
"Where's my sister?!"  
  
"Behind you sis," a coughing voice called out. "You two have been hanging out with Ryouga and the Amazon's too long." Everybody turned to see Nabiki and Nodoka stepping out of a cloud of dust.  
  
"Nabiki!"  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Nodoka!"  
  
"So Nabiki speaks the truth then?"  
  
"I..I¡¦can explain," Genma swallowed. Ranma might bow out and let Nodoka take vengeance rather than prove his own strength. Ranma noticed the sudden change in attitude as Genma turned his attention to Nodoka.  
  
~He wants ME to do it,~ Ranma realized, the pig-tailed martial artist growled. ~Whatever I do he's going to take as proof¡¦whatever¡¦I¡¦do.~ He smirked, then and released his father.  
  
"What are you doing, boy?" Genma demanded as Ranma walked away. Ranma turned around.  
  
"Its not in my hands, father," Ranma said. "You've broken Japanese, Chinese, and Amazon law, and dishonored numerous families with this fiancee scam of yours. I'm just one guy, it wouldn't be honorable of me to put myself ahead of all that, would it?" He turned away from his father and continued walking away, as if he didn't care.  
  
~Why that's brilliant,~ Nabiki's eyes widened and then she smiled. "Hey, Akane. I think we can handle this." She gestured for her sister to go after Ranma.  
  
"Where Akane think she going?" Shampoo demanded from where she had been standing off to the side. Cologne blocked her passage.  
  
"Your legal claim on the boy is not so certain any longer," Cologne said. ~And your chance at different claim is long since passed.~ Akane blinked, and narrowed her eyes at the amazon's before following Ranma around a corner. She found him, no longer appearing at ease, just out of sight.  
  
Ranma had thought that he had dealt with this the night before, when he had found out what the book said. He had to admit, though, that he had not been prepared to see his own father eager to see his son act like a bloodthirsty barbarian.  
  
"What was that about, Ranma?" she demanded. "Aren't you going to do anything?"  
  
"Nope," Ranma said hollowly.  
  
"Why not?!" Akane demanded. "You should do something!"  
  
"Nah, that's what he wanted me to do," Ranma shrugged. "He didn't care as long as it was ME doing it."  
  
"I see," Akane paused and examined how Ranma was slumped over as if exhausted. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine," Ranma told her. Akane bent down, looked up into his face, and noticed the tears trailing down his face. He turned away from her.  
  
"Let's go home, Ranma," Akane said.  
  
"Somebody might¡¦" Ranma stopped talking when he felt the water splash over him. ~After all this time I should know Akane's response to my saying I'm embarrassed to be seen acting unmanly.~ She sighed and looked up to see Akane turning off the hose.  
  
"Its okay to cry, Ranma," Akane said quietly. "But if the only way you'll do it is to be a girl, well¡¦" Akane shrugged. Ranma looked at Akane and just silently nodded. Akane reached out to take her hand and the pair walked off.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"Okay," Ukyou drawled it out. "Who's first?"  
  
"Shampoo no care," the blue haired girl shrugged. "No know what this all about."  
  
"I believe it is your honor, Saotome-san," Cologne said to Nodoka. "As the Saotome matriarch and Ranma's mother, the right of punishment should be yours first. Besides, I won't know which laws apply until I finish reading the book in question. Does everybody agree?"  
  
"Yeah, but I ain't going to give up second just yet," Ukyou snapped.  
  
"Oh, I've already acquired some measure of punishment for the Tendo clan," Nabiki said. Everybody stared at her. "I did reveal this mess, you know."  
  
"Nabiki, what were you saying about clan restructuring?" Nodoka asked the Tendo girl.  
  
"From what I know of the laws on the subject," Nabiki noted. "It should be a simple matter to name you clan head. Though that may take some time."  
  
"I see," Nodoka nodded. "Then it is simple, I'll cast him out of the clan, I'm fairly certain I can't trust him to do the honorable thing. Since this will take some time, however, perhaps the rest of you can take your turns now."  
  
"Right¡¦" Ukyou smiled viciously and turned to face Genma, who had not made a move since Ranma left.   
  
"This is going to hurt, old man," Ryouga promised, cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Please try not to kill him," Cologne suggested from where she was keeping an eye on Shampoo.  
  
"Oh, we'll leave something left over for you," Ukyou promised.  
  
"Well, I'm off," Nabiki yawned. "I'll need a working phone to get this thing started. Auntie, want to come along?"  
  
"Certainly," Nodoka bowed and followed the younger Tendo out the shattered remains of the diner.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
Epilogue (some time later)  
  
"Wasn't Ranma and Akane's wedding so romantic, Ryouga?" Ukyou asked, more than a little bittersweet.  
  
"Yeah, Akane was lovely in her wedding dress," Ryouga sighed. "And I guess Ranma did all right."  
  
"ALL RIGHT?!" Ukyou blinked. "He looked so gallant in that tuxedo. Akane could barely pull off that dress of hers." She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if it were her up there instead of Akane, she imagined that Ryouga was doing something similar with Ranma. He didn't go out of his way to try and kill Ranma anymore, but he still had a little bit of a crush on Akane.  
  
"Let's just stop here before we start tearing up the property," Ryouga said suddenly. Ukyou blinked and stared at Ryouga. "We're both biased."  
  
"Wow, Hibiki suggested a rational ending to an argument," Ukyou snickered. "The world's gone crazy."  
  
"I'm just tired after having to deal with the asylum's poster children," Ryouga sighed. "Do you KNOW how persistent those two can be?"  
  
"I've done what I could to avoid the Kunos," Ukyou agreed. The walked in silence for a moment. "Hey, Ryouga..."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You've been staying at my restaurant a while now," she hesitated.  
  
"Oh...I was going to leave soon anyway," Ryouga said. "I don't want to be freeloading."  
  
"No, that's okay," Ukyou said quickly. "I was just wondering...if maybe you'd stay around...maybe we can trade martial arts secrets...you know, like friends?"  
  
"Yeah..." Ryouga hesitated. "I could do that...and maybe we could see a movie or something...just friends."  
  
"That sounds nice," Ukyou sighed in relief. Then she decided to change the subject. "Did you see the looks on Konatsu and Shampoo's faces after the garter and bouquet throws?" Both of them chuckled  
  
"I swear that the old ghoul rigged the thing somehow," Ryouga smirked. "Shampoo wasn't even participating."  
  
"And then Mousse went ballistic!" Ukyou chuckled. "What happened to him anyway?"  
  
"He mistook Kodachi for Shampoo," Ryouga said. "And Kuno for Konatsu. That's how I finally got rid of them." Ukyou stared at Ryouga for a moment.  
  
"How could he mistake those two for...never mind, forgot who I was talking about," Ukyou sighed and shook her head, chuckling. The two continued chit-chatting as they walked along, Ukyou every once in awhile tugging Ryouga along to keep him travelling the right way. As they passed a certain fenced off complex they both glared and held off a shiver before running past it and returning to normal pace once it was out of sight.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"What are you worried about?" Nabiki asked as she helped Akane pack.  
  
"I'm just a little nervous about¡¦.tonight," Akane admitted quietly.  
  
"The ceremony is over, the vows are said, all that's left is the honeymoon," Nabiki smirked. "And I KNOW you'll have no problem with that."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Akane asked. "We're both virgins, at least he'd BETTER be a virgin." Nabiki blinked and stared at her in confusion for a moment.  
  
"But the night of the storm, before we all came down on the panda¡¦" Nabiki scratched her head. "You said, that you'd found the clouds and rain." Akane blinked, then her eyes bulged as she reddened.  
  
"NOT THAT WAY!!"  
  
"Then what WERE you talking about?" Nabiki demanded.  
  
"The storm of course," Akane snapped. "We caused it!" Nabiki stared at her a moment.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Really, I mean we weren't married yet," Akane said. "and we were in the open!!"  
  
"Err¡¦I guess I jumped the gun."  
  
"Yeah, you could say that."  
  
"Hey, at least you're not worried any more," Nabiki pointed out to change the subject.  
  
"Have you been taking lessons from Ranma?" Akane asked after a long pause. "This isn't up to your normal standards."  
  
"Oh just go, Ranma's waiting," Nabiki snapped. Akane stood up and was about to leave, but she thought of something and turned around.  
  
"Whatever happened to Genma anyway?" Akane asked. "Ranma might not want to know, but¡¦"  
  
"He's in good hands," Nabiki smiled evilly and narrowed her eyes.  
  
*******************************************************************************  
  
"So why doesn't that panda ever go into the water?" somebody asked a member of the zoo staff.  
  
"He doesn't seem to like it," the handler said. "When they spray him down he acts like the water is burning him or something. The vets can't figure it out. We asked the people that brought it to us, and all they would say is that it had attacked them, and they were forced to defend themselves."  
  
"How did they do that?"  
  
"They were martial artists," the handler shrugged.  
  
"Oh, stupid bear." The handler nodded again. 


End file.
